Bob Alvarez is the President and COO of Shapiro Metals, where he provides leadership, vision, and support to a nationwide team of sustainability and recycling professionals. Bob’s career began with roles in quality assurance, which led him to leadership roles in operations and human resources in a variety of industries before joining Shapiro Metals in 2015 as VP of Operations.

Bob’s leadership journey, however, began much earlier. At an early age, he began studying leadership by watching his mentors and coaches as well as reading everything he could on the subject. Ultimately, Bob believes that choosing a path of leadership means choosing to devote his life and his work to people. For Bob, truly caring about people entails inspiring them, providing support, and in some cases helping them change, to name a few.

Bob’s experience has also taught him another important lesson: that culture is everything. It is the essence of how a company does what it does, how it interacts with internal and external stakeholders, and how it ultimately delivers its value. He believes in creating a culture that is inspired by the purpose of making a meaningful sustainability impact for both stakeholders and the planet.